Object-oriented approaches to geo-referenced information

Abstract

This paper surveys the current state of the object-oriented paradigm as it applies to the handling of geo-referenced information. The model of any computerized system is multi-layered, with a high-level system-independent conceptual model of the application domain supported by increasingly system-oriented models beneath. The author argues that object-oriented approaches can be taken at each of these layers. The major constructs of object-orientation are discussed from this layered viewpoint and in the context of geo-information handling.